Bones in Motion

I count no less than 4 apps available for the iPhone that purport to record fitness information (speed, distance and calories burned) using the internal GPS of the phone. Digging into the FAQs and Forums for each of these has yielded some interesting results:

1. Without background support the app needs to stay up front and running which drains the battery
2. Auto-lock must be turned off or the app will stop recording when the screen goes blank
3. Recording stops when a call or SMS comes in and the app must keep "state" information to recover
   
4. It is recommended to turn of EDGE and WiFi to conserve enough battery for a 3 hour recording
5. You can play music in the background while recording GPS activity

Having pioneered the mobile fitness space with our first application that demoed on the iDEN network 5 years ago, we have seen a steady progression of technology in GPS accuracy, battery life, form factor and usability. The iPhone takes usability several steps ahead but it comes at a great cost to battery life and form factor (4.7 oz). The iPhone has also educated the consumer about GPS in mobile phones as the typical Verizon Wireless, Sprint or Alltel customer does not realize that their mobile phones have had a highly accurate GPS function for several years.

Even with these iPhone limitations, it makes good market sense to develop a Bones in Motion service for this audience as they will have a high tolorance as early adopters and will provide valuable feedback that can help us with the service across other handset models and wireless carriers.

Are you ready to run or ride with your 3G?